Bryzgalov helps Phoenix force Game 7

Detroit -

Special teams and a special performance from goalie Ilya Bryzgalov revived the Phoenix Coyotes' fortunes Sunday.

Bryzgalov kept the Coyotes from being buried in the early going and the dormant Phoenix power play awoke for three goals in a 5-2 win.

The victory evens the series at 3-3 and forces a Game 7 Tuesday in Phoenix. The last time the Wings won a Game 7 on the road was April 9, 1964 at Chicago in the semifinals.

"He (Bryzgalov) was our best player," Phoenix defenceman Ed Jovanovski said.

"He's been that for us all year. It definitely got him into the game, feeling pucks.

"He was in a zone."

The Coyotes had been waiting for Bryzgalov, who finished with 31 saves, to steal a game in the series and he started out with larcenous intentions in Game 6.

The Vezina nominee had to be sharp as the Wings dominated the opening 20 minutes as Detroit outshot the Coyotes 14-6.

He was particular sharp in the early going when the Coyotes ran into penalty trouble. Phoenix was whistled for three fouls in the first five minutes, two of them overlapping for 1:09.

"I thought they came out trying to set the tone early," Bryzgalov said. "They got a five-on-three power play, but we were able to withstand it.

"I saw the puck pretty well because of my D."

The Wings handed the Coyotes a little help on their first power play when Brad Stuart turned it over to Lauri Korpikoski just outside his own blue-line. The Phoenix winger fended off Henrik Zetterberg's attentions and fired his shot through goalie Jimmy Howard's legs for the short-handed tally at 4:10.

"It just sort of threw me off when (Zetterberg) threw his stick there in the middle," Howard said.

"It looked like he was going to go upstairs on me."

Having wasted their own five chances, the Wings were unable to contain the Coyotes on two of Phoenix's first three power plays.

Mathieu Schneider, who was inserted into the lineup in Game 5 specifically to boost the power play, and Radim Vrbata scored with the extra skater on either side of Stuart's goal to give the Coyotes a 3-1 lead at 10:09.

"I thought the fundamentals were there for the power play," Schneider said. "We had some really good puck movement. We got some good shots."

Just under four minutes after Vrbata's goal, Petr Prucha's shot hit Wojtek Wolski in the upper body and deflected past Howard.

The Wings' miserable afternoon continued early in the third period as Taylor Pyatt tipped in Keith Yandle's blast at 5:25 on the power play. Phoenix finished three-of-six on the power play.

Detroit's Darren Helm completed the scoring at 16:29 with his first of the playoffs.